Method of producing sheet metal cages for cylindrical roller bearings



- 'June 28, 1938'. BECK 2,122,365 I METHOD OF PRODUCING SHEET METAL GAGES FOR CYLINDBICAL ROLLE R BEARINGS Fil ed Jan. 31, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet l Fi .5. Fi 6.

INVENTOR.

Hans Beck June 28, 1938. E K 2,122,365

METHOD OF PRODUCING SEEET METAL CAGES FOR QYLINDRICAL ROLLER BEARINGS Filed Jan. 31, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

Hans Beck hlS ATTORNE-.

Patented June .28, 938

* UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE METHOD OF PRODUCING SHEET METAL CAGES FOR CYLINDBICAL ROLLER- BEAR- INGS Sweden Application January 31, 1936, Serial No. 61,654

y In Germany February 19,1935

8 Claims.

method of producing sheet metal cages for cylindrical roller bearings.

Cages for. cylindrical roller bearings as hitherto used have been mainlyof. drilled type.

Cages of drilled. type. can be used both for bearings with flangeson. the outer race ring and forbearings with flanges on the inner race ring, but have the disadvantage that they are rather expensive to manufacture. It is therefore desirable to produce a cage of sheet material for cylindrical roller bearings. It has,however,been found diflicult to design a cage of sheet material which can be used for both of the above types of cylindrical roller bearings. If the cage is suitable for 'only one of the above types of bearings the number of cage types which must be kept in stock will be doubled with consequent increase in the cost of manufacture and stocking. A further requirement is that the cross'section of the cage factured from sheet material and has a-rigid 2- shaped cross section. In its fundamental form the cage can be used both for bearings with flanges on the outer race ring and for bearings with flanges on the inner race ring. The roller pockets are provided with tongues which are adapted to be bent toward each other to retain the rollers in place after they have been inserted into the'cage.

flanges on the inner race ring the tongues are 'bent outwardly and in bearings having flanges on the outer race ring the tongues are bent inwardly. Thus only the tool. for bending the tongues need be made difierentfor the two types of roller bearings. The fundamental form of the cage is on the other hand exactly the same in both cases. The cage can, however, be designed so thatin finished iorm' it ,can be used forboth bearing types. In that case one of the tongues at each roller pocket is bent outwardly and the other tongue is bent inwardly.

The Z-shape of the cross section of the cage gives the cage suflicient rigidity. This shape of For cylindrical roller bearings having v (0.]. 29-1484) My invention relates to improvements in the.

outside or inside of the cage depending on whether the tongues are bent inwardly or outwardly.

It has previously been suggested to make 2- shaped. roller cages of sheet material for taper 1 roller bearings. The conical form of the inner race ring of taper roller bearings, however, permits the roller set, and the cage to be passed into place on the race way over the flange at the small end of the ring. This method of assembling the bearing cannot, however, be usedin assembling cylindrical roller bearings without an additional operation. Between the two bearing types there is a further fundamental difference in that the cylindrical roller bearing is sometimes provided with flanges on the inner race ring and sometimes with flanges on the outer race ring, the bearings otherwise being identical. This is not the case with taper roller bearings. In the latter type of roller bearings there are consequently no cages adapted for use both with bearings having flanges on ,the. inner race ring and for bearings having flanges on the outer race, ring.

The accompanying drawings illustrate a number of forms of the cage according to the invention and the method preferred in assembling the hearing. In which drawings:

Figure 1 is a view in axial section illustrating a form of my improved cage applied to the rollers of a bearing having inwardly directed flanges formed on the inside of the outer race ring.

Figure 2 shows a cross section of the cage illustrated in Figure 1 and the ends of part 01' the rollers 01! the set belonging to the same bearing.

Figure 3 is a view in axial section of a form of the cage applied-to the rollers of a bearinghaving outwardly directed flanges on the outside of the inner race ring.

Figure 4 is a cross section 01 the cage illustrated in Figure 3 showing the ends of part of the rollers oi theset belonging to the same bearing.

Figure 5 is a side view of a portion of a blank drawn and stamped and representing the basic or fundamental part from which any one of the three forms of cage herein illustrated may be formed by simple bending operations.

Figure 6 shows an axial section of the basic or fundamental cage element shown'in Figure 5.

Figure 7 shows a preferred method of bending the tongues at the roller pockets of a cage mounted in a bearing having flanges on the. inside of the outer race ring. t

Figure 8 shows the corresponding operation for bending the tongues of a cage mounted in a hear-- Figure 9 is a detail, principally in axial section 1 showing the position of a supporting tool applied has a Z-shaped cross section and tongues I are provided at the pockets for'particularly' enclosing the rollers 2. Figure 2 shows the same cage in a section perpendicular to the axis of the hearing. It is apparent from the figure that the tongues 4 have such a shape that they retain the roller 2 on the outer race ring I, even when the inner race ring is removed. In bearings having flanges on the inner race ring the tongues 8 of the cage 1 are as shown in Figurs 3 and 4 bent outwardly and in this case retain the rollers 6 on the inner race ring 5.

In both cases the fundamental or basic form of the cage, as previously explained, is thesame whether the cage is used in connection with roller bearings having flanges on the outer race ring or with roller bearings having flanges on the inner race ring. The only difference between cages for the one or the other bearing typej consists in the bending of the tonguesinwardly or outwardly. In the manufacture of the cages the tongues are so bent that both tongues belonging to the same pocket are disposed on substantially parallel planes. This makes it possible to asby means of a tool having a number of radially bearings, which consists in employing a cage for movable fingers II and "I2, whichareintroduced between a pair of adjacent, tongues and bend the tongues so that they partly enclose the rollers in adjacent pockets. In order to prevent the cage from becoming deformed during this operation, losing its circular form, the. cage may be supportedby a tool I3, provided with a number of fingers ll, one for each space between the rollers. The tool l3 may have the shape of a ring proe vided with axially extending fingers I I. "When assembling cages for bearings. having flanges on the inner race ring the tool is introduced as shown in Figure 9. The fingers l4 are thereby supported by the flanges -l 5l 5 of the inner race ring. The introduction of this tool is made possible becauseone flange IQ of thecage is bent outwardly. When assembling a cage for bearings having flanges on the outside of the outer race ring the tool is introduced from the side of the bearing at which the'flange i1 is bent inwardly. Having thus described my invention, 1 claim and desire to secure, by Letters Patent:

1. The. method of producingv roller cages-for the rollers comprising a cylindrlcal'body'portion formed with pockets and having flanges at its .respective sides, one. of said cage flanges extend- 'ing from the cylindrical body portion radially in one direction and the other cage flange extending' radially in the opposite direction, the cylindrical body portion being formed with roller pockets, there being tongue members provided at both sides of each'pockehthen bendingthe tongue members so that both tongues belongingto the same pocket extend from the same perimeter of of the cage, and projecting in the same general direction from the race way as do the tongues from the body of'the cage, then placing rollers in the pockets' and then bending the tongues to enclose therollers.

2. The method of producing roller cages for bearings, which consists in employi a cage for the rollers comprising a cylindrical body portion formed with pockets and having flanges at its respective sides, one of said cage flanges extending from the cylindrical body portion radially in one. direction and the other cage flange extending radially in the opposite direction, the cylindrical body portion being formed with roller pockets, there being tongue members provided at both sides of each pocket, then bending the tongue members so that both tonguesbelonging to the same pocket extend from the same perimeter of the cylindrical body portion, then assembling the cage with a bearing ring having a race way for the rollers and integral flanges formed at each side of the race way and directed toward the body of the cage, and projecting in the same general direction from the race .way as do the tongues-from the body of the cage, then placing rollers in the pockets, then introducing a supporting tool between the cage and the bearing ring at theside of the cage at which-the flange of the cage projects away from the bearing ring, and then bending the tongues to support the rollers, the body portionof the cage being supported on its perimeter oppositethat from which the tongues project.

3. .The method of producing :cages for roller bearings. which consists in forming a cage of basic Z shape, its central portion being formed with roller pockets provided with tongue-'mem bers at each side, then inwardly bending .the

said tongue member-sand causing them. toproject inwardly, then placing outwardly of .the cage a bearing ring having inwardly directed guide flanges at its sides, then inserting rollers in the pockets, then introducing a suitable supporting tool between the cage and the racering guide flanges at its sides, then inserting rollers in the pockets, then introducing a suitable supporting tool between the cage and the race ring andv then bending the tonguesto enclose the rollers'.,-

5. The method of producing cages for roller bearings, which consists in employing a cage made of a basic 2 shape having a cylindrical 66 and then bending the tongues to enclose the.

body portion formed with roller pockets and having flangesat its respective'sides, there 'being tongue members provided at both sides of each pocket, then bending the tongue members inwardly, then placing outwardly of the cage a bearing ring having a raceway for rollers, there flange of the cage projects inwardly, and bending the tongues to enclose the rollers.

6. The method of producing cages for roller bearings, which consistslin employing a cage made of a" basic 2 shape having a cylindrical body portion formed with roller pockets and having flanges at the respective sides, there be- ;ing tongue members provided at both sides of each pocket, then bending the tongue members outwardly, then placing within the cage a bearing ring having a raceway for rollers, there being an outwardly directed integral flange formed at each side of the raceway, then placing rollers in the pockets, then introducing a supporting tool between the cage and the bearing ring at the side of the cage in which the Z flange of the cage projects outwardly, and bending the tongues to enclose the'rollers.

7; The method of producing roller cages for bearings, which consists in employing a cage for the rollers comprising a cylindrical body portion formed with pockets and having flanges at its Y respective sides, one of said cage flanges extending radially in one direction and the other cage flange extending radially in the opposite direction, the cylindrical body portion being formed with roller pockets, there being tongue members providedat each side of each pocket, then bending the tongue members inwardly so that both tongues belonging to the same pocket are disposed on substantially parallel planes, then assembling the cage within a bearing ring having a race way for the rollers and integral flanges formed at each side of the race way and directed inwardly toward the body of the cage, then placing the rollers in the pockets, and then bending the tongues to enclose the rollers.

8. The method of producing roller cages for bearings, which consists in employing a cage for the rollers comprising a cylindrical body portion formed with pockets and having flanges at its respective sides, one of said cage flanges extending radially in one direction and the other cage flange extending radially in the opposite direction, the cylindrical body portion being formed with roller pockets, there being tongue members provided at both sides of each pocket, then bending the tongue members outwardlyso that both tongues belonging to the same pocket are disposed on substantially parallel planes, then assembling the cage upon a bearing ring having a race way for the rollers, and integral flanges formed at each side of the race way and directed outwardly toward the body of the cage, then placing the rollers in the pockets, and then bending the tongues to enclose the rollers.

HANS BECK. 

